TWO centuries on, this Mary Shelley classic still has the power to leave audiences and readers alike genuinely spooked.

A monster created by a scientist in a lab goes on a murderous rampage after being shunned by his creator and his peers, who recoil in revulsion whenever they see him.

You can sit unsafe in the knowledge if the opening of Matthew Xia's stark and creepy production doesn't disturb you, there's plenty more shocks to come.

Xia transported me to a nightmarish, black and white world, a world in which anyone trapped in craves an escape from. Shane Zaza lays bare Frankenstein's mental torment in a totally compelling way as he reflects on the exploits of his ghastly creation.

Zaza totally convinces as a man who has been to hell and back as he pours out his tale to an attentive sea captain. But I have to say it is a hell of his own making.

Harry Attwell cuts an imposing figure as Frankenstein's monster, prowling the stage with the perfect amount of menace. My stomach genuinely turned over whenever he appeared.

I also really liked Gerard McDermott as Frankenstein Senior, so desperate for his son to return to spend some time in the bosom of his family, while his son remains shut away from the world, immersed in the bizarre and grisly experiments that ultimately lead to his downfall.

April De Angelis' adaptation is perfectly paced and the RET has a hit on its hands with this macabre masterpiece. Be afraid, be very afraid.

* Until April 14. The box office is on 0161 833 9833. Star rating - ****